Strike
by AmityJade
Summary: For the first time in forty years, the Quidditch teams of Hogwarts were going on strike. This is the story of unlikely leaders, shady deals, and the ethical implications of snogging the enemy. AU Wood/OC


**Hello, everyone! This plot idea came to me after reading Gaskell's novel, North and South; and watching the BBC miniseries on Netflix (let us all take a moment to ponder Richard Armitage). Now, this is _loosely_ based on the novel; as in, I essentially took the idea of a strike and two characters having opposing viewpoints while inevitably coming together. This story will be AU; the Golden Trio may make appearances, but as three students in their second year of Hogwarts. The ages of characters will not be as they are in the books, so you are aware! For all intents and purposes, Voldemort will not exist. This will be a romantic dramedy, so please let me know what you think of it! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. **

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><p><em>Murphy's Law: Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. <em>

It all began so innocently, that morning at the beginning of term. Lizzie was enjoying her breakfast ─ pancakes and scrambled eggs ─ without a care in the world. The sun had even seemed to shine brighter than normal, which placed her in a pleasant state of mind; unlike her dorm mates who seemed to think the sunrise was a personal attack on their health and wellbeing.

Lizzie was always the first one to rise, not because she particularly liked early mornings but she discovered there were advantages to this habit. By doing this she obtained something important: privacy. That, in of itself, was something rare in her time spent at Hogwarts. While she was close with most of her dorm mates, placing five girls in one room was a recipe for drama and hysterics. Especially when each girl was uniquely intelligent, and unable to admit they were wrong… ever.

Each of the five had a specific role that affected the group dynamics, and Lizzie was the one that wound up with the lovely title of, 'Peacekeeper.' It was out of character for her to be argumentative or uncooperative which made her perfect for the role. Unfortunately, being the peaceful one came along with a stereotype or two; she was boring to most people. In fact, most didn't even know her name until she became a Chaser on her house's Quidditch team. After that she was known as, 'Sweet little Lizzie.'

The fact that she was one of the tallest girls in my year didn't stop the nickname from sticking. She gave up after the first month of hearing it, even if it grated on her nerves. It was… aggravating never being taken seriously; but then again, it's never easy to stand out when you are surrounded by savants. She was resigned to her fate of another ordinary breakfast in another ordinary term, unaware of the change about to blindside her.

On another note, the pancakes were fantastic; just the right combination of fluff and substance… oh, how she loved pancakes. Lizzie had already eaten four, but no one needed to know this.

She was enjoying them so much that she didn't notice the disheveled boy running towards her, clutching a flashing piece of parchment. How Lizzie missed the terror in his expression, the panicked flailing of his arms and legs, she would never know. One moment she was tipping back a cup of milk, and the next she was nearly tackled out of her seat by a crazed assailer.

"Lizzie! Lizzie! Look─you won't believe this, are you alright?" Lizzie was too busy choking on the milk she had inhaled to respond. "OH MERLIN, I've murdered you haven't I?!" Cough; hack; _wheeze_. "Don't go into the light, Lizzie! You have so much to live for!" Lizzie jerked forward as he pounded his fist against her back and she hiccoughed air into her crying lungs. She was certain her face had turned purple.

No one should ever have to endure such abuse so early in the morning.

"I'm sorry─I'm sorry─I'm sorry─"

"Jacob!" Lizzie rasped, or attempted to anyways as she had nearly coughed up her vocal chords. "What on earth are you doing here?" She couldn't recall a time she had seen him awake so early of his own volition. That boy could sleep through a hippogriff stampede if he wanted.

He looked confused for a moment before remembering the parchment now crumpled in his fist. "Oh, right. You need to see this!"

"Honestly, Jacob, is it really that important… " Her words trailed off as she saw the words flashing in bold on the front of the parchment. He couldn't… he _didn't_…

Roger Davies, Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, was a dead man.

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><p>"Is this supposed to be some sort of joke?"<p>

"Who does he think he is?"

Lizzie never imagined that all of her teammates, excluding the soon-to-be-mutilated captain, could ever assemble so quickly, and at such an early time. Half of them were still in their pajamas, and one of the Beaters, Hayden, even had a patch of dried drool stuck to his chin.

She wasn't going to be the one who pointed it out.

"He can't do this! Can he? NO, he can't do this! Just because he's the bloody captain doesn't give him the right to exact a form of dictatorship over us."

In the midst of the ensuing argument lay the parchment that started it all. Lizzie reached for it once more, reading over the now familiar words with disgust. Davies was many things: narcissistic, womanizing, chronically late, and so on… but he had crossed a clearly defined line.

**NOTICE! NOTICE!  
>The Eagles are looking for qualified Quidditch candidates and you may be one of them.<br>All positions are available and waiting for the perfect players!  
>Tryouts will be held on Saturday, at 8:00 a.m.<strong>

**Note: See Captain, Roger Davies if you have any further questions.**

"We are all excellent players, damn excellent players! Why would he hold tryouts without giving any notice to the team that has been playing together for nearly three years? It's insulting."

"Do you think he's still angry about what happened last year?" Lizzie crumpled the parchment into a ball, dropped it, and grinded it beneath her heel for good measure. Emotions that she believed to have been buried were rising to the surface and her stomach began to churn. It was so _like_ Roger to take her mistake out on the entire team. She thought they were past all of the fighting.

"Why should he be angry? It wasn't her fault; she was nearly bludgeoned to─"

She cleared her throat and the conversation halted abruptly; Jacob and Hayden had the decency to look embarrassed. They knew it was a sensitive subject for her.

"What do you think, Mel?" She asked, turning to the team's Keeper. Melisa never failed to demonstrate her brutal honesty. She and Lizzie had difficulty getting along in the beginning, but once they understood each other she became one of her closest friends. Lizzie kept her from flying off the handle, and Mel wouldn't let her retreat into herself; something that was becoming more ideal by the minute.

"Davies probably thinks that his whole team is against him after what happened last year," Lizzie winced. How many times were they going to bring up last year? "We all stood by you and he was forced to back down. Looks like he hasn't forgotten it either,"

"He was yelling at Lizzie while she was recovering in the Hospital Wing! I don't care if we lost the game, you don't treat your teammates like that." Lizzie glanced at Eli, the other Beater, who had been relatively silent until now. "Bloody hell, he's completely lost it."

"Let me talk to him," Cassie, the Seeker, spoke up. She and Roger had known each other for years, as their families were close. "Maybe I can talk some sense into him?"

"How do you know he will be reasonable, Cassie? He didn't even warn you about this and you're supposed to be like siblings." Mel snorted. "I think the Hat sorted him into the wrong house; this seems very _Slytherinish_, don't you think?"

"That's a stereotype, Mel."

"The truth's the truth, Lizzie. I hope his hair products go missing, and he loses all of his teeth." And Roger was the one placed in the wrong house? "Don't look at me like that. You've thought it too; you're just too nice to ever say it out loud."

"Good thing I have you to say it for me, then?"

"Good? I believe you mean, 'great,' 'spectacular,' 'amazing,' even."

Mel never lacked in self confidence either.

"I don't know what's wrong with Roger," Cassie began. ("He's an arse, that's what.") "But I do know him better than anyone on this team, and if anyone can reason with the bloke, it's me. Just give me an opportunity to speak to him and I'll have it sorted."

"That's all well and good Cassie, but tryouts are in two days. He's either going to make us try out again to satisfy his pride, or completely kick us all off of the team." The boys grunted in agreement, except for Jacob, who laid his head against a desk and was nearly asleep again. Lizzie supposed he had panicked into exhaustion… if such a thing were possible. Then again, Jacob was known for doing the impossible or the incredibly stupid.

"I know just… just let me talk to him. Okay? That's all I'm asking." She and Mel shared a look with the boys before nodding. At this point, it wasn't as if any more harm could be done.

"Alright, Cassie; but if he goes through with this, I'm transfiguring his face to match his arse."

"But Mel, he wouldn't look any different!" Lizzie bit her lip as Hayden snickered, which in turn caused Mel to burst out laughing. Soon enough they were all in hysterics, some of them reduced to quivering masses on the floor. The anxiety had been lifted for a moment, but they knew it wouldn't last long. Lizzie had to figure out a solution to this and she knew exactly where to find it.

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><p>"Excellent work, Miss Hale. Ten points to Ravenclaw!"<p>

Lizzie smiled as Professer Flitwick moved on to Hattie Clements, who was having difficulty with her wand movements. ("No, Miss Clements, its _swish_ then flick. There there, now.") Charms was chaotic, as per usual, and Mel grumbled from beside her.

"You do realize you're Flitwick's favorite, don't you?"

"No, Penny is." Penelope looked up from the lizard she had immobilized before shaking her head. It was well known that she was the girl with the highest marks in school, even surpassing her boyfriend, Percy Weasley. Or rather, secret boyfriend as they forced the truth out of her at the beginning of the term.

They still didn't understand that relationship.

"Is that jealousy I detect in your voice, Mel?"

"No, it's disdain. This is my worst class and I want to hate you both for it."

"Perhaps if you spent more time studying you would have higher marks."

"Perhaps if you wouldn't sneak off to snog your boyfriend so much, you could offer help instead of criticism." Penny turned red as she accidentally mobilized her lizard and it scuttled away. Lizzie reached underneath the desk and immobilized the creature once again before returning it to her. If possible, the lizard was now eyeing her with contempt.

"You are one to talk about criticism! You wouldn't last five minutes without making a derisive remark."

"Bollocks, I wouldn't last even last _two_. There's too much opportunity in this place."

"Would you lot please stop?" Lizzie's head was beginning to pound. She couldn't take much more of their bickering and it wasn't even lunchtime. "Honestly, you two are more like sisters than friends."

"I'm sorry, Lizzie." Penny's look of pity only exacerbated the situation. That was the last thing she wanted. "I know you've had a difficult day." For Merlin's sake, she wasn't made out of glass!

"Besides, if we really were sisters, could you imagine us over the holidays? Actually… my parents like you more than they like me Penny, want to switch?"

"Only if you promise to supervise my great aunt Jacquelyn during her annual get together with her friends from uni, they're a wild bunch."

"How wild could they be? Aren't they in their eighties?"

"She's sixty-two and was placed on probation last year."

As Penny vented about her great aunt's penchant for mischief, ("Two hours I was stuck with an Egyptian tax representative while she danced on top of the bar,") Lizzie sensed the undeniable force of a stare on the back of her neck. Her spine stiffened before she looked over her shoulder; she knew exactly who was responsible.

Roger was leaning back in his chair, twirling a quill between his fingers; looking perfectly at ease and not like the demon sent from hell Lizzie knew he was. He reached inside his book bag and unrolled a familiar piece of parchment.

Damn him for being such a rude, disagreeable prick.

She turned around quickly, though not soon enough to miss his smirk, and seethed inside. Who was he to act so superior and self satisfied? Didn't he realize that it would be literal hell to train an entirely new team? He, who couldn't abide the thought of losing a game, had to have considered that. This was all being done to spite her and her stomach churned again.

Charms was over shortly afterwards and Lizzie rushed out of the room, leaving Penny and Mel behind in her desperation. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs; she wanted to crawl underneath her bedcovers and stay there for the rest of the day; she wanted to march back into the room and shove that parchment down Roger's throat. She wanted so many conflicting things that it was tearing her apart.

"Lizzie!" Mel caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "I saw what happened, and you can't let Davies get to you."

"Don't you think I'm trying!?" Her head pounded worse as she rubbed her temples. Brief memories of cold rain, and a gasping crowd flashed in her mind. The ground was rushing towards her and she couldn't stop herseIf. Lizzie jerked her arm away from Mel and tried to ignore Penny's concerned expression. "I'm sorry… I think I have a migraine, I'll go see if Pomfrey has something I can use."

"We'll go with you," Penny stated and she shook her head.

"No, I'm fine. I'll see you both in Ancient Runes."

She knew she was worrying them, and it was a terrible feeling but Lizzie needed to be alone. This situation was stirring up old memories, and she was going to fight like hell no matter what Davies threw at me. Lizzie loved Quidditch, and everything about it: the adrenaline rush of flying at high speeds, the satisfaction of a well executed play, even the rise and fall of the crowd's reactions. It was nearly taken away from her once, and that wasn't going to happen again.

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><p>Ravenclaw stereotypes aside, there was nothing quite like being surrounded by shelves of books. It was peaceful at this time of day, most of her peers choosing to spend their free periods elsewhere unless it was closer to exams. Lizzie's eyes scanned the titles until she found exactly what she had been looking for. She tugged, 'The Quest of Quidditch,' free and found an empty table towards the left corner of the library.<p>

Her head felt significantly better but she had discovered an unfortunate side effect to the potion she was given. Her balance and coordination was slightly off and she felt almost too relaxed. It was hard to focus as Lizzie turned the pages towards the chapter dedicated to Hogwarts. After a few minutes of reading, she was beginning to lose hope of finding anything useful until something caught her eye. She blinked once, twice, before rereading the paragraph to be certain.

A warm feeling rose in her, though the potion may have had something to do with that, and she couldn't help grinning like a child at Christmas. This was it, she had the solution! Lizzie stood up quickly in her excitement and misjudged distance as she moved around the table. Her right foot hooked around the table leg and she went sprawling against the ground, the book flying out of her hands and skidding away on the ground. Her bag swiveled on her shoulder, knocking against the side of her face.

"Ow… " was all Lizzie could muster. The pain of the fall and being smacked in the face with a heavy bag formed tears in her eyes that she tried to blink away; then she realized how funny the situation was, how, of all things, did she manage to trip over a table leg? The more Lizzie thought about it, the funnier it seemed.

"That was a nasty fall, are you alright?" At this she burst out laughing, clutching her sides and gasping for breath. Lizzie was sure her dignity was buried somewhere in the haze of pain and dizziness. She wiped the tears away and caught eyes with the boy who was now staring at her with hesitation. There was a few seconds of tense silence before she began laughing again, unable to contain herself. It didn't even bother her that she looked like an idiot, and that the boy's face was very familiar.

"… Do I need to take you to the Hospital Wing?"

"Nope, I've already been!" He took a step back from her as she snorted, which cut her laughter off abruptly. Merlin, this was embarrassing! What did Pomfrey give her? It should've been marketed as an illegal substance.

"I'm not mental."

"I never said that." Lizzie scrutinized him; tall, dark hair, dark eyes, Scottish accent, nice build… now where had she seen him befo─ bugger. She knew exactly who he was. He knew exactly who _she _was, which made this situation horrifically more awkward, if it were possible.

"You're on Ravenclaw's team, aren't you?" Now _that_ was the question of the day.

"Yes. You're Gryffindor's captain. Oliver Wood." One whom Lizzie had unintentionally spiked in the face with a Quaffle in her first game, but maybe he didn't remember that.

"Yes, my nose eventually healed, if you were wondering." Bollocks. He did remember.

"My aim was shoddy that day." And his face was in the way of the goal, so who's fault is that? "Sorry about that." Oliver looked thoughtful, before offering a hand to help her up. She took it and wobbled as she regained her balance. Bloody _potion_.

"I suppose a late apology was better than nothing at all. You didn't even send flowers."

"What!?" Lizzie spluttered. "Why on earth would I… you're having me on." His face was stern before it lightened with a boyish grin. He even had the nerve to laugh. If she hadn't of been so flustered, Lizzie would have thought he had a nice smile. Boys like that were dangerous. "I have to go."

She swiveled on her heel and walked swiftly towards the exit, bumping into a Hufflepuff who apologized to me, even though it was her fault. And people said Lizzie was too nice? The exit was in sight and she intended to pretend the whole encounter never happened. Her solution came to mind once more and she fought the guilt that accompanied it.

"Hale," Damn it, why couldn't just leave? And did she say he could call her by her surname? No, she didn't think so. "You forgot your book."

"Oh." Her eloquence was astounding at times. "Thank you." Lizzie grabbed the book and shoved it in her bag. "… Bye." With that stunning farewell, she fled the library with every intention of tracking down her teammates and putting an end to this mess.

Now, she only had to convince her team that her plan was feasible. How hard could it be?

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><p>"You realize this is the second time we've met in this classroom within the course of twenty four hours. I didn't even know it existed until now." Jacob noted, poking Mel in the side ─ knowing she loathed being touched unless absolutely necessary.<p>

"You never notice anything beyond broomsticks, boobs, and Bludgers."

"That's an unfair assumption; I like legs as well."

"Diverse of you, that." Jacob grinned, which served to irritate Mel all the more. Taking the Mickey out of her was one of his favorite pastimes due to her temperament.

"I haven't had any complaints yet, love."

Lizzie shook her head and nudged Cassie, who had been staring at the ground in deep thought. This situation was bothering her more than she wanted to admit. Roger's callousness towards his supposed dear friend was surprising.

"I talked to him," Cassie muttered, before looking at Lizzie. Her shoulders sagged as if a heavy weight had been placed on them. "He agreed to cancel the tryouts." Lizzie sat up straighter, unsure if she had heard her friend correctly.

"He did?" At Cassie's nod, she hesitated. "What is it going to cost us?"

The rest of the team went silent as Cassie looked at her knees, moving her palms back and forth over her them. "Roger will cancel the tryouts… only if we agree to never question his captaincy and authority again."

"I'll question what I bloody well want to." Mel spat, her ire rising. "He was completely out of line last year and if he wants a potion for his wounded pride he should see Madam Pomfrey."

"He's going to make me run laps again, isn't he?" Hayden groaned. He spent half of the previous Quidditch season making rounds of the pitch.

"That depends Hayden, are you going to beat a Bludger towards our dear captain again?" Eli asked.

"Would serve him right, that. Why? Are you saying it's not worth the punishment?"

"No, I'm saying I'll join you. I'd like to see the git dodge it this time."

Lizzie mustered her courage as she reached inside her schoolbag while they argued over each other. It was now or never; but would they agree? The idea was farfetched and logistics needed to be discussed, however, she knew it could be done.

"What's next, Cassie? Is he going to expect breakfast in bed while one of us shines his broomstick and starches his uniform?"

"Don't say that, he's a captain not a dictator. His authority doesn't extend beyond Quidditch, you and I both know that."

"What was that rule he made up again about relationships? I specifically remember something like, 'It is expected that you will cancel any and all plans in the event of emergency practices or meetings, including ones involving personal relationships.'"

"That rule never stuck!"

"Exactly, because he was the first one to break it!" Lizzie coughed and was, in turn, completely ignored. She considered the moral implications of using a Silencing charm on the lot of them.

"Remember that time he was thirty minutes late to practice?"

"Which one? It occurred regularly."

Lizzie's cough turned into a full, 'Harrumph!'

"Say, you're rather quick. I suppose that's why you're in Ravenclaw."

"Yet we still don't know why you are, Jacob."

"You'd be bored without me." It was time for drastic measures. Lizzie climbed atop a desk, her book clutched between her arm and waist. She closed her eyes for a brief moment before inhaling deeply.

"**SHUT UP, ALL OF YOU!**"

Everyone was silent, too shocked to respond. Lizzie never raised her voice; even Mel, who had been her best friend for years, had only heard her scream once ─ an instance that was brought on by severe physical pain. Lizzie cleared her throat and held the book outwards, her index finger pointing to a paragraph within.

"Thank you," she began, regretting her decision to stand upon the desk. She was already tall enough without a pedestal. "I know that this situation is frustrating, unfair, and for lack of a better word: mental. For the past two years, our team has been efficient and successful, until my… mistake at the end of the last season." She could feel Mel's eyes on her and refused to meet them; the questions would be answered later. "Now, Roger is within his rights to hold tryouts, though thankfully he has canceled them. However, we have rights too."

"What are you saying, Lizzie?" Cassie asked, her expression somewhat baffled. Lizzie paused for a moment; this was it, and there was no turning back.

"I did some research this afternoon and I found something interesting. In the history of school-level Quidditch there have been instances of immense dissatisfaction within teams and towards captaincies. In 1952, there was a particular case of─"

"Lizzie, you're making my head hurt. This is worse than your speech last Christmas about the fundamentals of gift wrapping." Lizzie shot a glare in Jacob's direction; sometimes she wondered how, out of all people, he had to be her cousin.

"Your gift wrapping looked like it had been done by a blindfolded five-year-old. ("Oy! I take offense to that!") Anyways, as I was saying, in 1952 circumstances were so severe that the Hufflepuff Quidditch team met in secret, as we are doing, and made an important decision ─ one that we are within our rights to make as well." Her teammates whispered to each other. What on earth was she going on about?

"You're saying we should follow the example of a Hufflepuff team that played forty years ago?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying, because their idea was brilliant." Lizzie jumped down from the desk and passed the book to Cassie, who was looking more concerned by the second. She would be the most difficult to convince out of the entire team. "They decided to go on strike."

Everyone was silent once more as the idea began to sink in. A moment later, the silence was broken by a poorly concealed snicker. Hayden covered his mouth with his hand as he regained his composure.

"A strike? That's your plan? What good is that going to do us? Davies'll just find new players and we'll be left on the sidelines."

"Those were my thoughts as well," Cassie returned the book to Lizzie when she held out her hand. "But the Puffs didn't just begin a strike with only their team."

"… You don't mean," Lizzie nodded, her expression grave as she snapped the book shut.

"By the time of the Gryffindor and Slytherin game, all of the teams are going to go on strike with us."

Hogwarts was doomed.

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><p><strong>I hope you all enjoyed this (as I enjoyed writing it) and thank you for taking the time to read it! I want my writing to improve so please feel free to leave feedback and constructive criticism. <strong>

**Chapter 2: Explosions, shady deals, and contracts are on the horizon! **

**AmityJade**


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